Born Again
by OpheliaxEternal
Summary: A powerful immortal strikes a bargain in order resurrect Nuada and Nuala. Now, in order to save himself & his sister, Nuada must satisfy the terms of the bet. He must experience learn forgivness and fall in love with a human! Nuada/OC Nuala/Abe


A/N: Okay those of you who were reading my original story Born Again, this is the exact same story. I was so over-eager to get to write about Nuada that I didn't post this chapter first and now I've come to my senses.

This first chapter has nothing to do with Nuada : (

I know bummer! However, the following chapters will now be strictly Nuada and no other immortal interfering nonsense.

Sorry to post and then delete and then repost but now the stories back! Enjoy!!

Darkness surrounds all that there is, only the whispers and tremors of those who labor in shadow can be heard while all else is silent. This is the place of a great tragedy, where many a sorrowful event has occurred. Here in these ruins of the elf kingdom lays the Golden Army, trapped in their eternal slumber. Here is where the Prince Nuada, Silverlance, Son of King Balor, fell into darkness. . The people of the fairy realm languish and suffer, for without a ruler, they too will surely fall into chaos fade into the deep.

It is here where the undisturbed bodies of the Prince and Princess lay, that our story truly begins.

Two Months Prior…….

Her cloak secured tightly around her she moves through the darkness, reveling in the shadows and staying close to the walls. Her presence is a secret, a light whisper floating through the air, shifting and twisting in order to avoid detection. She is tall for a woman, nearly 5'10, with narrow hips and a slender frame. Should someone discover her presence here her outward appearance would reveal nothing of a woman who would be capable of defending herself. She clutches her cloak tightly between two delicate wrists, seeking to further obscure her face. In this dingy tomb even the walls have eyes and she must be swift and silent in order to complete her mission.

Suddenly she comes upon the ancient throne room, nestled deep in the heart of the ruins of Bethmora. Instantly she knows this is the final resting chamber of the Prince and Princess; she closes her eyes and draws magic to her like moths to a flame. She lets the energy flow and cackle around her before she lashes out, harnessing it and controlling it to do her bidding.

A single thought.

_Light_

The room fills up to the brim with illumination, all is clear now and the darkness melts away.

She gasps as her eyes cannot command her heart to bear what it is she sees. She has seen the corpses of elves before, of course, once in a prior time the earth was littered with their stone remains. This time is different though, this time the bodies littering the floor belong to those whom she loves.

There on the floor were the remains of Prince Nuada and there on the dais were the remains of Princess Nuala.

"Oh my darlings."

She falls to her knees and gently caresses the crumbled cheek of her darling Nuada; her Prince, her beloved, her son.

Many knew who she was, time had provided her with countless names and her face was etched into many the myth, human and magical alike. The myths of man had named her: Vivian, Diana, Nimue, Thetis, Sulis, Nivaine, Melusine and hundreds more. All of them different yet all told of the same kind of woman, a magical being, an immortal, the mother of a great warrior and to be sure she was all those things and more. She was the High Priestess of the Isle of Mists, Avalon, and birth place of magic itself. She was the Lady of the Lake and she would use all of her power to make sure her son and daughter walked this earth again.

Once again the Priestess closed her eyes and allowed the enchantments she possessed to flow around her like a rope of sheer energy. In the blink of an eye the death chambers of the Prince and Princess were once again empty. The Priestess knew what had to be done; she needed to seek the aid of others such as herself, fellow immortals who could help her right this grievous wrong.

Every precious moment in the history of the world had been recorded and archived in one form or another. Not just the written history of mankind, but every single last event which ever took place on the planet. Even those which pre-destined Time itself were recorded and kept. Moments which mortals knew nothing of, the day the Stars flew into the sky for the first time or the night the moon was created, the moment humans were birthed into existence, and the day animals took their first steps on land and water alike. It was these points in time which were archived and protected and it was the keeper of these records who the Priestess sought. The being she pursued was older than the Priestess herself, and literally witnessed every event since Time began.

The Priestess sought out the Lady of Time, keeper of the chronicles of space and time. The recorder of whole Era's, she who knew and had seen it all, who possessed the power to bend and twist time as she wished.

Lady Time was no easy being to find; one did not simply seek passage through the Gates of Existence and expect to be readily welcomed.

The Gates of Existence were quite literally the Gates through which every moment in time existed. One could travel to any point in time simply by standing between the Gates and concentrating, but to do so without the permission of Lady Time was strictly forbidden. It was Lady Time's job not only to govern the flow of time and keep it steadily moving, but also to make sure no single being sought to upset the delicate balance of events.

The Priestess knew she would have her work cut out for her in persuading the ruler of Time to aid her in her quest.

The Priestess walked in a room with no walls and no floor. Beneath her feet there was only pitch blackness for as far as the eyes could see and where the walls would have been there was only chaotic darkness. Only Lady Time had the gift of light to illuminate the darkened tunnels of her space.

Time existed in space and so the Priestess was in no specific location, but rather, she just existed. Her feet made no noise on the floor as she walked, because there was no floor. She merely walked on black air, all the while the Priestess concentrated furiously, and used any magic she possessed to summon the attention of Lady Time.

Finally from the darkness their came a bright and glowing light and the Priestess smiled slightly, because she knew that now she had a chance.

The Priestess took in the appearance of Lady Time as she approached her. The Gates of Existence were erected behind her, proud ebony rods shooting up into the sky, intricately woven to form an entrance. It was rumored that on the other side of the gates, the ebony turned to Gold and every moment of time reflected off of a gleaming surface.

Lady Time herself was unchanged since the last time The Priestess had seen her, which was nearly a billion years ago.

Lady Time had chosen her most common human form, that of a human in the depths of middle age. Her hair was long, and black, it fell in sleek, shiny waves down her back. Her garments were simple, a long wool dress reaching to the floor.

Lady Time wore no jewels and no ornaments adorned her flowing black hair, she merely held her staff. The Staff of Time was the only possession which Lady Time held in her hands always. It was the tool which enabled her to part the Gates of Existence and it would respond to no others touch, save for her own.

"You're far from the shores of Avalon Priestess," Lady Time nodded her head slightly in a greeting of respect.

"So it would seem," The Priestess returned the nod of recognition out of respect.

"How do you fair?"

The Priestess crinkled her brow in confusion, a gesture she had abandoned centuries ago. Surely one as powerful as Lady Time would be able to sense the Priestess arrival and the reasons behind it.

"Do you not know why I have come?"

"I know that you seek solutions to problems that have already been solved, my friend."

The Priestess smiled slightly, although she had not seen Lady Time for many long years the immortal still openly acknowledged their prior friendship, it was a good omen.

"Their death is not the solution, it cannot be. Please."

Lady Time released a sad soft sigh, and averted her gaze.

"Priestess that which your heart desires lays outside the realm of my powers…I cannot retrieve their souls; I cannot breathe life back into their broken bodies."

"I know…but you can summon he who can."

Lady Time cut a cruel gaze to her 'friend's' face.

"You would have me call him here? He would deny me even my own wishes and desires, for what purpose? He will not allow this to pass."

The Priestess straightened her back, and schooled her features into discipline. She squared her shoulders and set her jaw, gritted her teeth and held her gaze level to that of Time.

"I will not ask his permission, I plan to strike a bargain in exchange for my request."

Lady Time arched an eyebrow and considered these words.

"What would a Priestess of Avalon offer to _him, _which would convince him to release precious souls?"

Without taking her eyes away from the Lady, the Priestess simply replied.

"My immortality."

The eyes of Lady Time went wide, she gripped her staff tightly, knuckles turning white under her pressure. In a flash she had raised the staff and brought it down hard upon the surface of which she stood, as if she were a judge calling a court to order. There was still no floor beneath her but the sound of the staff striking the ground let out a deep and pulsating sound which throbbed throughout the chamber.

Yelling was beneath immortals, screaming, fighting, arguing, these were all human concepts. An immortal did not show anger or unhappiness in this manner. By striking her staff against the ground Lady Time had spoken volumes. She was displeased with what the Priestess had said, if Lady Time so desired she could easy cast the Priestess out of her abode.

"I will ask this once Priestess and answer honestly, for I shall know if you lie. Have you fallen into madness?"

"I have not."

The Priestess was calm, and stoic, her jaw set in her resolve.

"Then why would you do this? You would sacrifice your immortality, you would put in jeopardy all of Avalon, and for what? Two dead children who dealt their own hand?"

The Priestess nearly flinched.

"It is mine to do with what I will."

"Your will risks the natural order, have you forgotten your duties? What is to become of Avalon without a Priestess to guide it? Not to mention the natural order which you seek to totally destroy. You realize you speak of resurrecting the dead, endangering the human race all over again, and for what?"

"I will appoint a successor; I will not leave Avalon unattended."

Lady Time had turned her back on the Priestess, her long hair whipped out behind her as she spun on her heel.

"You seek to alter the natural path; you talk of ideas borne from absurdity. You are not asking for treasure or jewels Priestess, you seek to toil with the souls of the afterlife. You want to reach in and yank them out of their eternal slumber. Do you not see? Can you be so blind as not to know that their fate was to die?"

"Fate is a laughable concept! All who are not immortal are given a mere taste of life on this planet and they cannot know in their hearts how little of their lives is left up to chance. Every decision any being on this earth makes, sets in stone their path to follow. My daughter sought only to preserve the dignity of her people and the safety of the humans. She had no choice."

"Priestess, Priestess," she said her name softly now, to get her attention, to expose the gentle meaning of her next words, "she had no choice because your son was a raving lunatic."

In part the words of Lady Time rang true.

"Lady Time, please, I am their mother."

"Priestess, it cannot be done. Please, I beg of you, strip these ideas from your heart and cast them away from yourself. They are of no use to you."

The Priestess nodded sadly.

"You speak only the truth, but I cannot leave without trying. If _He_ denies my ideas, rejects my offer, than I shall stop seeking to change this grave error. If not…"

Lady Time turned to face the bowed brow of the Priestess.

"It is not beyond your comprehension that I do not need to do this, correct? You realize that if I so much as think it you will be banished from this place and I will have no need to summon him."

The Priestess regarded her words; she was not saying them out of anger. She just wanted the Priestess to realize what she was asking.

"The choice is yours."

Lady Time did not wish to see the Priestess fade from existence, she was her friend. She had ruled Avalon for over a billion years and Avalon had prospered and remained hidden. Still, if this is what her friend wished…perhaps she could help her after all.

"So Be It."

Lady Time brought down her staff on the floor again, this time in a much gentler manner. There was no discord to govern the gesture.

"Demon of Death, come fourth. I call upon thee!"

It happened slowly at first, the atmosphere of the room began to change. The room appeared to get darker, even though the amount of light flowing in the small chamber never varied. Immortals never felt cold, or uncomfortable, but they felt the air in the room lower in temperature, and all around them an icy wind could be felt stirring, despite the fact that they were indoors.

With a great flourish and a clap of thunder a cloud of smoke appeared before them and as the haze cleared the outline of a cloaked figure was visible.

Lady Time and The Priestess exchanged glances between each other, such a gaudy entrance was unnecessary. Had he wished it, Death could simply have appeared, but the Demon of Death was a vain creature and he demanded that his presence be acknowledged.

The Demon of Death was quite literally the Demon in charge of death. He alone was in charge of delivering souls to the other side and either bringing them to the light or casting them into darkness. He alone possessed the power to summon the souls of the deceased and thrust them back into actuality.

"Ladies."

Death bowed low to his feet before popping back up again. Considering his job Death was not only extremely vain, but also easily excited. He was like a small child, the idea of other immortals summoning him made ideas rattle around in his conniving skull.

Death was dressed in his custom floor length hooded cloak; it was made of fine black silk. Death also had the gift of changing his appearance and he used it often among his charges.

Should you have fear in your heart when you died or were you afraid of death, then he would play with you. He'd present himself to you as a foul ghoul, with hideous markings and scars, gnarled teeth and burning red eyes. It was his unconventional nature that had caused a rip between himself and many of the other immortals.

Both immortals nodded in turn at the black hooded creature, grateful that they could not see his face yet. The Demon of Death had no eyes, it was simply the shape he had chosen to take, and he fancied it. He had the eye sockets, and the lashes, and the eye brows but the organs themselves, the physical sphere shaped ornaments to fill up the socket were missing. His face was left with empty holes and he felt the look suited him.

"My, my Priestess, I have no seen you for nearly three centuries, what an honor."

His voice was oily like the rest of him; it gave the listener the distinct impression that Death was somehow closely related to the reptile known as snake.

"The honor is all mine Death, I have sought your company, I have much to discuss with you."

Death inclined his head in a sign of interest.

"Well I thought I may be hearing from you eventually, I recently acquired some very interesting souls in my collection. Elves you know… pitiful creatures clinging to a life which doesn't want them anymore…I think perhaps they were familiar to you?"

He was playing with her, baiting her. The Priestess was beginning to suspect that Death knew exactly why he was here.

"They were familiar to me, yes."

Lady Time watched from her place next to them attempting to figure out a way to make this meeting go better.

"Ah, but nothing is more familiar than family."

The Priestess said nothing; she merely nodded as she attempted to hold her composure.

"Am I to assume there is something I can do for you, Priestess?"

"Death I have a bargain for you, one that I think you find tempting. I want my children to have their lives restored; I want their bodies to be renewed and their lifespan unaffected. I want to see them walk this earth again, and I want them back in this realm."

"Such haughty requests from one so put out. How do you intend to get this magnificent feat accomplished?"

The tone of Death held more than a little humor, he was mocking her.

"You're going to do it of course."

"Oh but Priestess, I think you have over amplified my fondness of you."

"I do not propose that you do it out of the kindness of your heart, Death."

"Very well…I suppose you realize I do not have a heart in either event. What do you i propose /i I do it for then? Tempt me."

The Priestess looked down; it was hard for her to utter these words. She wanted her children to walk in the land of the living again…but to speak these words. To offer her immortality away to one she detested so much. It was nearly unbearable.

"I offer you an exchange…I shall give you…my-

"A PROPOSAL!"

Both Demon and Priestess alike very nearly jumped at Lady Time's outburst. It went completely against her demure nature to even raise her voice, but she had actually shouted.

Death searched with his iris-less eyes looking from the Priestess to Lady Time.

"I am aware that she makes an offer, I am listening to it."

The Priestess looked at Lady Time with an arched brow, what was she doing?"

"Demon" Lady Time began, "You shall raise these two fallen ones from the dead. You shall restore their bodies and renew their lives, and you shall give them one year on earth."

"Of course Milady and would you have me raise the City of Atlantis while I am at it? Perhaps I could even realign the stars and set the moon to a more suitable position to fit your needs."

Lady Time smiled in a coy and saccharine way; it was totally out of character, but completely fitting for the moment.

"You shall do it on the terms of a wager, demon."

"What shall the terms be? So far I've heard of nothing in it for me."

Death was loosing his patience he did not like to be commanded. Lady Time felt his impatience and went back into business mode.

"For the space of a year allow the elves to walk the earth and at the end of three hundred and sixty five days, if they have not completed the terms of the agreement…then and only then may you revoke their lives."

"I must say Milady, I do like the way your mind works. The elven Prince is a murderer of true form, why in just one night he delivered me at least 70 souls from the Auction House. Can you imagine the glorious carnage he shall wreak in a whole year?"

Lady Time was momentarily taken aback by the black hearted Demons death lust.

"Thus the conditions which will bind them to existence for their duration on Earth. The Prince shall not strike out against a human in hatred; only in self defense will he be allowed to kill. While he is on earth he will have exactly one year to free his heart of hatred and find love…with a mortal."

The Priestess very nearly gasped.

The eyebrows of Death came together in seeming confusion but the sinister mouth curved into a cunning smile.

"Milady, surely you realize with the Prince's hate filled heart he will not last a day!"

i Priestess. You will have to figure out a way to warn your son that he is not to harm a human while he is on earth. /i

The words flew into The Priestess mind and she was shunned to see it was Lady Time who was doing the talking. The Priestess did not possess the power to enter the mind of another immortal. She did not know how to mentally respond so she nodded as subtly as possible.

"Do we have an accord?" Lady Time addressed her inquiry to Deaths smiling face.

Death's eyeless gaze floated over both the Priestess and Lady Time. The grin slide from his face and he became serious again.

"All right, let us say for a brief, fleeting moment, I consider submitting to this absurdity. You still have not told me what is in it for me? What will I get when the Prince fails? And He will fail Priestess."

The Priestess shot a steely gaze at Death, her back ramrod.

"My Immortality shall be forfeit if you win."

Death grinned broadly, clasping long bony fingers together in pleasure.

"Most excellent. Now, we've bargained for one soul, what shall the terms be for the Princess's soul?"

The Priestess looked taken aback.

"The terms of the agreement were that you resurrect both of them, not just one. Should Nuada fail, then and only then, will you revoke both their lives."

"Well it hardly seems fair! The Princess has never harbored hatred for humans, she should not have to fall in love and forgive one."

Lady Time answered now.

"You are right; Nuala will be under no obligation to fall in love with a mortal, however! Should she kill a mortal, for any reason other than self-defense than you shall also win the bet."

"How Divine."

The Priestess took no solace in the glee of Death; he was a sinister and deviant creature. She wanted desperately to take her leave of him.

"It will be difficult of course. Nuala I can summon easily, her soul floats in the loving realms of light. Nuada…Nuada dwells in darkness."

"Why would he have gone to darkness? He is not evil!"

"He may not be evil Priestess, but Nuada died with true hatred in his heart and the blood of the innocents on his hands. His time on this earth was too short lived to repent for his actions or quell his odium towards man."

"You are Death incarnate, how can it be hard for you to summon a soul regardless of its location?"

Death smiled at the Priestess as if he were looking at a petulant child.

"When the souls are bathed in light, they are free and unguarded. They simply exist and I have to do no more than snap my fingers to recall them. When a soul languishes in darkness, however, then it creates great difficulty in recalling the soul. At that point I've signed their spirit over to those who guard the darker realms. Negotiating a soul away from them will not be easy."

Lady Time broke them apart.

"Death, can it be done?"

"I am Death, I can do all things."

The Priestess was more than mildly repulsed by his arrogance but she forced herself to utter the words that would bind her to this dreadful arrangement.

"Then Do It."

Death curved his lips up into a sinister snarl of a smile before bowing deeply to both immortals.

"It is done."


End file.
